Global Unity at Bharat Mandapam: PM Modi Joins World Leaders and Tech Titans for Group Photo at AI Impact Summit

Lisa Ernst · 20.02.2026 · Artificial Intelligence · 8 min

India's AI Impact Summit: Shaping the Future of Artificial Intelligence

As I walked through the bustling Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the energy surrounding the India AI Impact Summit 2026 was palpable. This was more than just a conference; it was a powerful statement. India, a nation often termed part of the Global South, was stepping confidently onto the world stage to chart the future of artificial intelligence.

Source: Own illustration

Held from February 16 to 21, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 marked the fourth in a series of global AI summits, following impactful gatherings in Bletchley Park (2023), Seoul (2024), and Paris (2025). This made it a historic moment: the first such summit hosted by a nation from the Global South. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, operating under the ambitious IndiaAI Mission, orchestrated the event, which drew a diverse and impressive group of participants. Over 500 global AI leaders, 100 CEOs, 150 academics, and 400 CTOs and philanthropists were in attendance, alongside more than 100 government representatives, including 20 heads of state and 60 ministers.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the summit on February 19, 2026, setting a tone of global collaboration. French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered addresses during the opening ceremony, emphasizing the summit's international significance. The summit’s theme, "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya"—which translates to "Welfare for all, Happiness for all"—guided every discussion, aiming to position India as a pioneering leader in AI development that truly promotes inclusive growth and protects our planet.

Source: craiyon.com

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit, expressing India’s commitment to inclusive AI development guided by the theme "Welfare for all, Happiness for all."

The India AI Impact Expo 2026 ran concurrently with the summit, also opening its doors on February 16, 2026. The Expo was a vibrant showcase, featuring over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries across more than 10 thematic pavilions. These pavilions displayed cutting-edge AI applications in critical sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education, and sustainable industries, all managed seamlessly by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

Quick Summary

• Dates: February 16-21, 2026
• Location: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, India
• Host: India, a nation from the Global South, for the first time in this series of summits.
• Organizer: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IndiaAI Mission.
• Theme: "Sarvajana Hitaya, Sarvajana Sukhaya" (Welfare for all, Happiness for all).
• Key Participants: Over 500 global AI leaders, 100 CEOs, 150 academics, 400 CTOs/philanthropists, and 100+ government representatives (including 20 heads of state).
• Inauguration: By Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 19, 2026.
• Notable Addresses: French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• Concurrent Event: India AI Impact Expo 2026, featuring 300+ exhibitors from 30 countries.
• Key Initiatives: India’s "Whole-of-Nation" AI strategy, expansion of GPU infrastructure, and Microsoft’s $50 billion investment pledge.
• Guinness World Record: 250,946 pledges for an AI accountability campaign within 24 hours.

Summit Structure and Key Initiatives

The summit meticulously organized its agenda around three core "Sutras": People, Planet, and Progress, ensuring a holistic approach to AI’s impact. Seven thematic working groups delved into specific outcomes within these foundational pillars, focusing on areas like leveraging AI for economic growth and social benefit, democratizing AI resources, fostering inclusion for social empowerment, building secure and trustworthy AI systems, developing human capital, promoting science and resilience, and driving innovation and efficiency.

A high-level Leaders' Plenary on February 19 brought together heads of state, ministers, and representatives from multilateral institutions. Their crucial discussions addressed defining national and global priorities for AI governance, infrastructure, and international cooperation. That same evening, a CEO Roundtable fostered lively discussions between leaders of global technology and industry companies and government officials, exploring potential investments, research collaborations, and strategies for AI system deployment.

On February 18, a research symposium, partnered with the distinguished World Economic Forum, explored critical topics. Discussions covered sovereign AI infrastructure, persistent global challenges in AI adoption, recent research breakthroughs, and urgent policy priorities that need to be addressed.

Indian AI Innovations on Display

During the summit, several groundbreaking Indian AI models and products made their debut. Sarvam, a leading Indian AI laboratory, launched impressive new open-source models, including 30-billion and 105-billion parameter models built with an innovative Mixture-of-Experts architecture. Sarvam also introduced the Kaze smart glasses, which Prime Minister Modi personally tested at the Expo, highlighting their potential impact. Additionally, the government-backed BharatGen Param2 model, a robust 17-billion parameter model supporting 22 Indian languages with sophisticated multimodal capabilities, was proudly showcased.

Source: msn.com

At the Expo, Prime Minister Modi experienced the Kaze smart glasses, an open-source innovation from India’s Sarvam AI laboratory.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw outlined India's comprehensive "Whole-of-Nation" AI strategy, which includes ambitious plans for cultivating a "frugal, sovereign, and scalable" AI ecosystem. The government also announced its intention to significantly expand India's existing base of 38,000 GPUs with an additional 20,000 GPUs under the IndiaAI Compute Portal. Further boosting this vision, Microsoft pledged a substantial $50 billion investment by the end of the decade, aimed at bringing AI to low-income countries.

The summit also saw India achieve a remarkable Guinness World Record. A staggering 250,946 valid pledges to an AI accountability campaign were recorded within a 24-hour period between February 16 and 17, 2026, demonstrating widespread commitment.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite its many successes and grand ambitions, the summit faced some notable challenges and criticisms. Galgotias University, for instance, drew sharp criticism on February 18 for attempting to pass off a robot dog as its own development. This device was later clearly identified as a commercial product from China's Unitree Robotics. IT Secretary S. Krishnan confirmed the government's firm stance against exhibitors presenting non-original items, which ultimately led to the university being asked to vacate its stall. The university subsequently issued an apology, stating its representative was "ill-informed" and unauthorized to speak to the press.

Source: robosavvy.co.uk

Galgotias University faced repercussions after presenting a commercial robot dog, identified as a Unitree Robotics product, as its original development.

Other logistical issues marred the experience for some. A Bengaluru entrepreneur reported the theft of his product on the first day, though the Delhi Police later successfully recovered it. Delegates also reportedly found themselves without food or water during a security lockdown on February 19, implemented for the Prime Minister's visit. Another point of contention was the closure of the summit venue to the general public on February 19, which sparked understandable criticism from many registered attendees.

Bloomberg reported that Prime Minister Modi strategically utilized the summit to reinforce India's global AI ambitions, especially after a challenging year in foreign policy. However, TechPolicy.Press offered a critical perspective, arguing that the summit's structure granted multinational corporations a platform equal to sovereign governments while offering no equivalent space for civil society, labor leaders, or human rights advocates. TechPolicy.Press further contended that India's approach to AI governance, much like France's previous summits, primarily treated these gatherings as trade events, suggesting any Delhi declaration would likely lack substantial commitments to global AI governance. Moreover, TechPolicy.Press observed that the US delegation arrived with a clear agenda of "dominance," framing AI squarely as a geopolitical race against China.

Conclusion

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 undeniably underscored India's bold ambition to lead in the global AI landscape, particularly for the Global South. Prime Minister Modi consistently emphasized the urgent need to democratize AI, ensuring it genuinely serves as a tool for inclusion and empowerment for everyone. He passionately called for collective determination to develop AI as a global common good, advocating strongly for global standards, authenticity labels for digital content to combat the pervasive threat of deepfakes, and robust child safety measures within the rapidly evolving AI space. India's profound "M.A.N.A.V." vision for AI – emphasizing Moral and ethical systems, Accountable governance, National sovereignty, Accessible and inclusive solutions, and Valid and legitimate applications – aims to meticulously guide its development and deployment. As India proactively builds a resilient AI ecosystem, spanning from advanced semiconductors to cutting-edge quantum computing, it extends a powerful invitation to the world: "Design and Develop in India. Deliver to the World. Deliver to Humanity."

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